Signalling device



Oct. 13, 1970 R. P. JAccARD SIGNALLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 5, 1968 PIC-5.2

1 v w a n C L 1 L 7 v Oct. 13, 1970 R. P. JACCARD 3,533,227

SIGNALLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 5, 1968 2 SheetsSheet 2 FIG. 4

TNVENTUR RENE P 1466MB United States Patent ice 3,533,227 SIGN ALLING DEVICE Ren P. Jaccard, Petit-Lancy, Switzerland, assignor to Blessing-Werke K.G., Waldkirch im Breisgan, Germany Filed Feb. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 702,874

Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 6, 1967,

Int. Cl. G04b 13/02 US. Cl. 5821.155 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A repeater-type alarm clock comprises a clock mechanism having a moving shaft. An alarm mechanism cooperates with the clock mechanism and is adapted to be triggered by the same for release of stored energy. A blocking arrangement is associated with the alarm mechanism and is capable of selectively blocking and unblocking the release of the stored energy. An arrangement is provided for initiating the movement of the blocking arrangement to a position permitting release of stored energy in response to predetermined rotation of the rotary shaft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a signalling arrangement in general, and more particularly to an alarm clock. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to a triggering arrangement for repeater-type alarm clocks.

Repeater-type alarm clocks, that is devices which generate an alarm signal at predetermined time intervals, are of course known. However, the construction of the mecha nisms required for effecting the repetition of the alarm signal at predetermined time intervals is invariably very complicated, and therefore expensive and cannot be used with different types of alarm clocks. Rather, different types of alarm clocks require different repeater mechanisms.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a mechanism of the type here under discussion which is very simple and reliable, and which is inexpensive and can be readily produced in great quantities.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a mechanism which can be utilized without difficulties in alarm clocks of many different types, thus obviating the need for different repeater arrangements for different types of alarm clocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One'feature of my invention resides in the provision of a clock mechanism having a first moving member and a signal generating mechanism which is adapted to be triggered by the clock mechanism. This signal generating mechanism includes an energy-storing element which is adapted to release stored energy and to initiate the generation of the signal in response to triggering by the clockmechanism. Blocking means is associated with the signalgenerating mechanism and is adapted to move between a first and a second operative state in which it respectively blocks and permits the release of stored energy by the element. Finally, initiating means is associated with the blocking means and with the moving member for the purpose of effecting movement of the blocking means to the second operative state thereof as a function of predetermined movement of the moving member, thereby enabling release of stored energy by the energy-storing element.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best 3,533,227 Patented Oct. 13, 1970 understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING All figures illustrate the invention in simplified diagrammatic form.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention in a condition in which the energy of the energy-storing element has been released;

FIG. 2 is largely similar to FIG. 1 but illustrates a condition in which the energy-storing element is in a condition in which it stores energy;

FIG. 3 corresponds substantially to FIGS. 1 and 2 but illustrates the device in a condition in which energy has been partially released by the energy-storing element; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale, showing a further embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of clocks and of alarm clocks, is so well known that a detailed illustration of this is not believed necessary. Accordingly, all figures show diagrammatically a conventional alarm clock of which there are illustrated one platen or support member 1, the main spring 2 for the clockwork, the energy-storing spring 3 for the alarm mechanism, the alarm mechanism 4 with hammer 5, the balance 6, the shaft 7 and knob 7a carried thereby for setting the alarm mechanism, and the shaft 8 for setting the non-illustrated hands of the time piece.

The arrangement according to the present invention comprises a bell-crank lever 9 having a shorter arm 9a and a longer arm which is bifurcated and consists of two portions, one of which is identified with reference numeral 9b and is relatively thick whereas the other is identified with reference numeral 96 and is relatively thin, as is evident from FIG. 1. The free end portion of the arm portion 9b comprises an edge face 9e and a hook or nose-shaped section 9d. The lever 9 is pivotable about a pivot 17 which mounts it on the platen 1. It is to be noted that the pivoting of the lever 9 is not opposed except for the presence of a very slight friction, for which purpose suitable means may be provided, such as a flat spring acting between the lever 9 and the platen 1. The lever 9 is not subjected to the action of a returning spring urging it in one or the other direction.

The free end of the arm 9a of the lever 9 has mounted thereon for pivoting movement about a pivot axis 14 a member 12 which is shaped as a segment of a circle. That end portion of the member 12 which is mounted on the arm 9a is part-circular and has the outline of at most 170 angle. It is provided with a radially extending face 12a, against which there abuts one end of a restoring spring 15 whose other end 16 is connected to the arm 9a so that the spring tends to pivot the member 12 in counterclockwise direction. This movement of the member 12 is limited by two projections 9 and 9g which abuttingly cooperate with a third projection 12b which is so bent as to extend into the space between them. The member 12 has a corner portion and a lateral edge face 12b which faces in the general direction of the pivot axis 17. The arcuate free edge face of the member 12 is smooth in the illustrated embodiment. It cooperates frictionally with a similarly smooth wheel 13 mounted on the turning shaft 8 for rotation therewith. The shaft 8 which carries the non-illustrated minute hand of the clockwork, rotates in the direction of the arrow F.

An annulus 10, provided with a projection or finger 11, is mounted on the shaft 30 which is connected with one end of the spring 3 and which turns in the direction of the arrow 1 when the spring 3 releases its stored energy,

whereas it turns in the direction opposite to the arrow when the spring 3 is being wound for the purpose of storing energy therein.

'FIG. 1 illustrates my novel device in a position in which the spring 3 does not store energy, that is in which all energy originally stored in the spring 3 has been released. It will be seen that there is no contact between the lever 9 and the finger 11 and that the portion 126 of the member 12 abuts against the peripheral edge face of the wheel 13 downstream of an axial plane intersecting the shaft 8 and the pivot axis 14. In other words, in this position of the member 12 the portion 120 thereof will simply slide on the peripheral edge face of the wheel 13 as the shaft 8 turns in the direction of the arrow F.

If it is desired to ready the device for later signalling purposes, the shaft 3a will be turned in the direction of the arrow 1 by means of the conventional knob or key which is not illustrated but which is provided on the shaft 3a in the usual manner. In so turning the shaft 3a the finger 11 engages the free end of the section 9c of lever 9 and pivots the lever about the pivot axis 17 in clockwise direction. This results in clockwise movement of the arm 9a away from the shaft 8, thereby withdrawing the portion 126 of the member 12 from contact with the wheel 13 and permitting the restoring spring to snap the member 12 into the position illustrated in FIG. 2. This position is determined by the projection 9 and can thus not be exceeded. Upon continued turning of the shaft 3c for the purpose of winding up the spring 3, that is to store energy in the spring 3, the finger 11 will pass beyond the free end of the section 9c and will eventually abut against the free end of the arm 9b. In accordance with the invention that side face of the arm 9b which faces the finger 11 when the latter reaches the just described position is constituted as an inclined cam face so that, as the shaft 3a continues to be turned in the direction of the arrow 1, the finger 11 simply guides over the cam face (which is not illustrated) and elastically deflects the arm sect-ion 9d out of its path. This continues until the spring 3 has been wound to the desired extent. The shaft 3a can now be arrested against rotation in the direction oppositely the arrow 7, that is in an energy-releasing sense, in such a manner that the finger 11 is located in the position illustrated in FIG. 2 and will be enabled to perform almost a complete rotation when the shaft 3a is released for turning movement. It is to be specifically noted, however, that the shaft 3a can of course be arrested in any desired position, so that the finger 11 can similarly be arrested in any desired position. Evidently, the angular spacing of the finger 11 from the nose 9d of the arm section 9b that is the distance which it must traverse in clockwise direction before it abuts against the nose 90!, will determine how much energy can be released by the spring 3. This, in turn, determines for what period of time the alarm signal will initially be given. No means for arresting the finger 11 in any of these positions are shown, but they are conventional and are therefore clearly evident to those skilled in the art. It is, of course, also possible not to arrest the finger 11 in any of these positions, if preliminary actuation of the arm signal is not desired, and instead to have the finger 11 immediately abut the nose 9d in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. In this case, an initial alarm signal will not 'be given and the device will provide only one alarm signal in the conventional manner of non-repeating alarm clocks.

It will be noted from FIG. 2 that in the position which the member 12 assumes upon being biased by the spring 15 in the manner discussed earlier, the arcuate edge face of the member 12 is located on the upstream side of the axial plane intersecting the shaft 8 and the pivot axis 14, that is on that side which is upstream as seen in the direction of rotation of the shaft 8 in the sense indicated by the arrow F. In the illustrated embodiment in which both the peripheral face of the wheel 13 and the arcuate edge face of the member 12 are assumed to be smooth, the

two faces will simply slide one upon the other with very Slight friction but the member 12 will not move from the position illustrated in FIG. 2.

As soon as the shaft 3a is released for turning movement in counterclockwise direction, whereby the finger 11 moves from the position illustrated in FIG. 2 into the position illustrated in FIG. 3, a preliminary alarm signal will be generated by release of energy from the spring 3. The period of time for which the alarm signal will be generated depends, of course, upon the time which the finger 11 takes to abut against the nose 9d, as already discussed earlier.

Upon abutting of the finger 11 against the nose 9d, further turning of the shaft 3a becomes impossible and the alarm signal stops. On the other hand, however, the finger 11 presses against the straight edge face 9b and thus tilts the lever 9 about the pivot axis 17 in counterclockwise direction with a force which is sufficient to deflect the member 12 tangentially into tighter engagement with the peripheral edge face of wheel 13. The thus increased friction between the arcuate edge face of the member 12 and peripheral edge face of the member 13 suffices for entrainment of the member 12 by the wheel 13-. The member 12 is thus turned about a pivot axis 14 in clockwise direction by rotary movement of the wheel 13, and during a predetermined period of time, for example, ten minutes, the edge face 12d of the member 12 will pass towards the right beyond the dead center position, that is beyond the axial plane intersecting the shaft 8 and the pivot axis 14. When this takes place, the lever 9 turns about its pivot axis 17 as a result of the pressure exerted by the finger 11 into the position illustrated in FIG. 1. This releases the finger 11 for rotational movement with the shaft 3a in counterclockwise direction, that is in a direction opposite the arrow 1, and the energy remaining in the spring 3 is now released in full, producing a second and final alarm signal.

The illustrated embodiment is by no means exhaustive of the possibilities according to the invention. It is clear that the construction could be such as to eliminate the illclined cam face on the arm 9b and to have the latter and the finger 11 so cooperate that the finger 11, on reaching the position during energy storage in which it would normally deflect the arm 9b, would instead be frictionally retained thereagainst. Howevr, it would then be necessary to assure that this friction sufficies to arrest continued movement of the shaft 3a and the finger 11 in counterclockwise direction upon completion of the first alarm signal, that is when the finger 11 moves into engagement with the nose 9d. Evidently, many devices are known to those skilled in the art which could be employed for this purpose.

Another possible modification is to provide cooperating teeth on the arcuate edge face of the member 12 and the peripheral edge face of the wheel 13. This is shown in the self-explanatory FIG. 4 where '83: is the shaft supporting wheel 13 and 12 is the same member as in FIGS. 1-3. The teeth on wheel 13 and member 12 are identified with numerals 13 and 12', respectively.

It is a particular advantage of the present invention that the device can be used with platens of various different dimensions without requiring any changes in the construction or dimensioning of the platen. The lever 9 can be mounted for pivoting movement in suitable bores which are usually provided in the housing surrounding the entire clock, or in a special support which can be provided for this purpose. The members 10 and 13 can be simply press fitted on the respective shafts 3a and 8, and no modifications of the platen will be seen to be required,

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a signalling device, it is not intended to be limited tothe details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. In a device of the character described, a combination comprising a clock mechanism having a turntable first shaft including a portion provided with a circumferential surface which surrounds the axis of said first shaft; a signal generating mechanism adapted to be triggered by said clock mechanism and including an energy-storing element adapted to release stored energy and to initiate generation of a signal in response to triggering by said clock mechanism, and a turnable second shaft adapted to rotate in a predetermined direction in response to release of energy by said element; blocking means including a projection rigid with said second shaft for turning movement with the same in said predetermined direction, and a bell-crank lever having one arm and another arm, said bell-crank lever being pivotable between a first position in which said one arm engages said projection in a sense precluding turning of the latter in said predetermined direction and a second position in which said lever permits turning movement of said projection in said predetermined direction; and initiating means comprising a member configurated as a segment of a circle and having one end portion provided with an arcuate edge face adapted to abut against said circumferential surface transversely of said axis and another end portion mounted on said other arm for tilting movement about a pivot axis, said member being tiltable between a first and a second end position in which it is respectively located at opposite sides of an axial plane intersecting said axis of said first shaft and said pivot axis, and biasing means carried by said other arm and urging said member for movement to that one of said sides which is the upstream side as seen with reference to the direction of turning of said first shaft.

2. In a device as defined in claim 1, wherein said arcuate edge face and said circumferential surface are smooth.

3. In a device as defined in claim 1, wherein said arcuate edge face and said circumferential surface are provided with interengaging teeth.

4. In a device as defined in claim 1, wherein said lever is freely pivotable between said first and second positions thereof.

5. In a device as defined in claim 4; and further comprising engagement means engaging said lever with slight friction.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination comprising a clock mechanism having a turnable first shaft; a signal-generating mechanism adapted to be triggered by said clock mechanism and including a turntable second shaft and an energy-storing element connected with said second shaft and tending to turn the same to thereby release stored energy and initiate generation of a signal in response to triggering by said clock mechanism; blocking means associated with said signal-generating mechanism and including a lever pivotable between a first and a second position in which it respectively blocks and permits turning of said second shaft for the release of stored energy by said element; and initiating means associated with said blocking means and with said first shaft and including an initiating member mounted on said lever and pivotable with reference to the same into engagement with said first shaft for effecting movement of said blocking means to said second position as a function of predetermined angular displacement of said turnable first shaft, thereby enabling the release of stored energy by said element.

7. In a device as defined in claim 6; said second shaft being arrestable in an angular position in which said projection is remote from said lever when the latter is in said first position thereof, and releasable when said signalgenerating mechanism is triggered to thereby undergo initial rotation and enable partial release of the stored energy, and said projection being adapted to engage said lever in said first position of the latter in response to such partial release of stored energy.

8. In a device as defined in claim 7, said energy-storing element being connected with said second shaft and said lever having two arms one of which is adapted to engage said projection, and wherein said one arm of said lever is longitudinally bifurcated and comprises a relatively thin first portion adapted to be engaged by said projection when said second shaft is turned in a sense effecting storage of energy in said element to thereby pivot said lever to said first position, and a relatively thick second portion adapted to engage said projection in response to initial rotation of said second shaft and partial release of the stored energy.

9. In a device as defined in claim 8, wherein said second portion is resiliently flexible and comprises an inclined cam face so positioned as to be engaged by said projection in response to turning of said second shaft in a sense effecting storing of energy in said element, wh reby cooperative engagement of said cam face and said projection effects resilient flexing of said second portion to one side of the path described by said projection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1908 Davies 58-18 4/1961 Jaccard 5818 US. Cl. X.R. 5818 

